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Was all that we knew about the link between fat and heart disease wrong?

Was all that we knew about the link between fat and heart disease wrong?

Here's the evidence that omega-3-fats may not help in protecting the heart.

Written by Editorial Team |Published : March 18, 2014 5:26 PM IST

Heart diseaseAccording to a new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, restricting consumption of saturated fats alone does not reduce the risk of heart disease. The study is based on data from 72 unique studies (existing studies and randomised trials on coronary risk and fatty acid intake) with over six lakh participants from 18 nations.

The study, led by the University of Cambridge, also found insufficient support for guidelines which advocate the high consumption of polyunsaturated fats, such as omega 3 and omega 6, to reduce the risk of coronary disease.

'These are interesting results that potentially stimulate new lines of scientific inquiry and encourage careful reappraisal of our current nutritional guidelines,' said Rajiv Chowdhury, lead author of the study.

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The investigators found that total saturated fatty acid, whether measured in the diet or in the bloodstream as a biomarker, was not associated with coronary disease risk in the observational studies.

Additionally, when the authors investigated the effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplementations on reducing coronary disease in the randomised controlled trials, they did not find any significant effects -- indicating a lack of benefit from these nutrients.

Cardiovascular disease, in which the principal manifestation is coronary heart disease, remains the single leading cause of death and disability worldwide.

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